MURFREESBORO – Tanner Owens found his zone Monday at Old Fort Golf Club.

And he never got out.

Owens, a rising junior at Blackman High, won a qualifier for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the Murfreesboro course with a 9-under 135 for the 36-hole tournament. He won the tournament by four strokes.

“I was swinging it really well,” said Owens, who finished tied for 10th in last year’s TSSAA Class AAA state tournament. “I didn’t get into any trouble. Knowing the greens and being allowed to have a caddie was a big help.

“Having a caddie gave me someone to read the greens and reassure me I was reading it right.”

There were 78 golfers in the qualifying tournament. The top three finishers advance to the amateur championship, which will be held July 21-26 at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, which is near Houston.

Former Blackman teammate Josh Bunch, who graduated last month, caddied for Owens.

“I knew (Bunch) knew what he was doing, and that he could help me,” said Owens, who has been a DNJ All-Area first team golf member the past two years. “He could keep me calm.”

Mission accomplished.

Owens blistered the course with 11 birdies over the 36 holes on the humid day. He had just two bogeys. He shot a 7-under 65 for the first 18 holes and 2-under for the second 18.

Owens, who finished 15th a year ago in the qualifier, said scoring around par had put players in position to winning, or at least advancing to the junior championship, from the Murfreesboro qualifier in recent years.

“I knew I had a chance,” Owens said. “I had to stay in the moment. In golf, anything can happen. I had to keep making birdies.

“I didn’t make many putts (in the second 18).”

But by then he didn’t have to continue his torrid pace.

Owens has played well throughout the spring. He won the Tennessee Ashworth Elite Series with a 5-under par over two days at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson in April.

But qualifying for the junior amateur open topped this.

“This means a lot to me,” Owens said. “(The amateur championship) is one of the best junior tournaments that you can play in. I’ve worked hard to get two good rounds to get to qualify for it. My hard work finally paid off. Now, I get to go down there and have fun.”

“This is about as big as you can get in junior golf. It’s the biggest junior golf tournament in the country.”

Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kreager.